Jamie Persse jamie@jcpersseconsulting.com
Sales — It’s Not a Dirty Word
L “I’d like to offer you a view of sales that leaves you feeling more comfortable and at ease with how having a positive “sales attitude” can benefit your customers and help you grow your bottom line’
et’s face it. To many, “sales” seems like a service that has the potential to satisfy somedirty word. Wouldn’t it just be easier if one’s pains, needs and wants. Your job is to we could put our product and service out inspire your prospect to a point of taking action there via social media and other advertising with you. Do it ethically and with integrity. media in a passive manner, and get the phone Do it with high character. Believe that your to ring or have people knock our doors down “product” can serve your customer’s needs, and convey that confidently. Again, constantly to purchase what we offer? It’s true that effective marketing may lead ask yourself, how is your product or service to a greater level awareness of your product going to leave them better than before? And for and eventually to sales. In fact, management the love of Pete, if your product won’t satisfy guru Peter Drucker once said, “The aim of mar- their need, don’t say it will! keting is to make sales superfluous.” Drucker’s Go for the Win-Win: The negative stigma in point is well taken. Marketing should create sales comes from the perception of who the awareness of how your product or service is going to “win” in the transaction. I can help solve a problem someone has. I be- heard it long ago that one of the greatest fears lieve it falls short at times on converting that people have is that someone is going to take awareness into action. something from them that they have, or not I’d like to offer you a view of sales that give them what they want. Fostering a winleaves you feeling more win atmosphere leads comfortable and at ease to a greater customer Guest Columnist with how having a posexperience, and likely, itive “sales attitude” can more repeat and referbenefit your customers, ral business. This only and help you grow your bottom line. happens when both parties come away from Here are five key points to consider: the “sale” having their needs met. Again, unThe Know, Like and Trustfactor: People want derstanding your customer’s needs is critical to do business with those they know, like to meeting that need! Zig Ziglar once said, “If and trust. Build rapport and credibility you help enough people get what they want, with your prospect. Teddy Roosevelt said, they’ll help you get what you want” “People don’t care how much you know until Fulfill the promise: Once someone has they know how much you care”. Get to know bought from you, they are expecting them, and let them get to know you. One of the that your product or service will satisfy reasons that “referral business” has a higher their need, both now and in the future. Don’t conversion rate from marketing to sales is over-promise and under-deliver. If anything, simple: Someone has made a recommendation under-promise and over-deliver. In a lot of based on their personal experience with you industries, follow up with your customer after or your company. So, they’ve done some of the sale can provide you extremely valuable the leg work for you by recommending you. feedback. Don’t neglect that feedback! Think of Understand your customer: I’m sure you’ve the cash register experience at your latest visit heard it said — “it is better to understand to a fast food joint. On the receipt is usually than to be understood.” It starts with a number or website where they ask you to understanding your customer’s needs. Don’t share your experience with them. Could this assume you know why someone is coming lead to a greater and more fulfilling experience to you. How do we do that? Ask probing for your customer? Sure, it could. It could also questions. Seek to understand what “pain” provide you with some valuable information they are trying to solve. Understand how your to make the tweaks necessary to ensure your product or service going to leave them better continued success. Remember, nothing happens until somethan before? What was it that their last supplier didn’t satisfy for them? How did their needs go thing is sold. Without sales, there is no service, unmet? Truly valuing and satisfying the needs no accounting, no operations, etc. You need of your customer is critical in developing long customers, otherwise you have no one to serve. As I usually say in my articles, these are term customer relationships Sales is about the heart: Sales is influence. not earth-shattering and new ideas. SomeIt starts with a heart check. Do you truly times, it’s just back to mastering the basics. believe that you can help someone satisfy Just turning the wheel one notch can often their needs? You are a provider of a product or yield great results.
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2. JAMIESON C. PERSSE is the founder and CEO of JC Persse Consulting. For more information, visit www. jcpersseconsulting.com and send an email to jamie@ jcpersseconsulting.com. MARCH 2017/ APRIL 2017
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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
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